Dog Urine Spots in the Lawn

You walk out your back door and to your dismay see weird brown spots all over.  Your first thought may be, did our lawn care company or possibly even myself use too much fertilizer or spray too heavy?  Nope.  You are probably seeing dog urine spots in the lawn.

Why do I get brown spots in my lawn from dog urine?  Fido’s miracle grow urine has high nitrogen and salt in it and actually causes super growth in those areas where he marked his spot.  The lush growth can sometimes just be that, with a dark green spot.  Other times it will brown up in the middle with a dark green ring.  The third option is just brown spots with no dark green area.  All the options are unsightly and make the lawn look like some sort of leprosy lawn.

DOG SPOT MYTHS

Female Dogs can only produce these lovely spots.  No actually any dog that squats when it goes to the bathroom will more likely produce spots.  The reason squatters are more likely to create dog urine spots is because they are relieving themselves in a more concentrated area.  Think about if you took a handful of fertilizer and dumped it in one spot.  You would burn up that spot.  Same principle.

Certain Breeds cause more spots.  Not necessarily true.  Larger breeds may cause more spots only because they have more natural fertilizer showering the grass than a smaller dog would.  Remember the dog urine is essentially a concentrated fertilizer.  The more in one spot, the better chance of burning grass.

Dog Spots can be prevented or cured with dog treats.  The university research I have read claims there are no treats that will cure or prevent dog spots.  Never give your dog something that would alter the PH of the urine without consulting your vet.

Solutions?

Unfortunately there is no magic solution you can give the dog to prevent these spots.  There is a magic solution you can pour on the spots to reduce or prevent dog spots though.  Guess what it is called?  Water.  That’s right.  God gave us a free dog urine spot preventer solution that is gluten, sugar, fat, and cost free.  Take that Corporate America.  Simply take your hose and dilute the area where the dog did his business.  This will help flush the salt through the soil quicker.

I can hear you.  Who has time to watch their dog relieve itself and then flush that area with water every single time?  Probably only retired folks.  Who wants to do it?  Nobody.  I would rather be golfing than hosing down my dog’s urine spots.  So what else can you do?

Make sure you dog gets plenty of water.  Keep the dog well hydrated and this can reduce the amount of concentrated grass killer in its urine.  Still not satisfied?

Okay try this.  Give up on preventing the spots and have a designated pee area.  Set up a spot in the backyard that is fenced in or train the dog to only urinate in one area where you are willing to have dead grass spots or it is a landscaped area that has no grass.

Bucket of Seed and Soil

The best solution is to take a 5 gallon bucket and fill it with soil and perennial ryegrass.  Mix it all together and put a scoop in there.  You are now prepared to attack those dog spots throughout the season like you are a greenskeeper taking care of divots on a golf course.  Perennial ryegrass germinates quicker than bluegrass and fescues, so it is nice to fill in spots throughout the season.

Still not happy with these solutions.  Too bad – that’s all I have.  My advice at this point is to relax, it is only grass, and go enjoy life with your family.  Sometimes dog spots will heal themselves and other times you may need to reseed those areas with grass seed.  Fall is the best time in Cincinnati and Dayton to sprinkle some grass seed over the old spots.  We suggest turf type tall fescue grass seed unless you have a bluegrass lawn.  Then use bluegrass.

Remember research has proven that 4 out of every 5 dogs prefer peeing on a PureLawn.  Ask around.  The dogs are talking.  Call us today for a free lawn analysis.